Monthly Archives: <span>March 2020</span>

It’s Mostly Conference-as-Usual For Insurance Amid Coronavirus (Except No Handshakes)

As the coronavirus and its COVID-19 disease spread, Insurance professionals going to industry conferences over the next few weeks and months could find themselves having their temperature taken at the door and being told not to shake hands with fellow …

One Square Kilometer of Wetlands Worth $1.8M in Storm Damage Prevention

U.S. protection of wetlands has expanded and contracted dramatically over the last five years, as Democratic and Republican administrations rewrote Clean Water Act rules to their constituencies’ liking. The lack of high-quality economic analysis has been a recurring theme in …

Alphabet’s Waymo Raises $2.25 Billion For Driverless Cars

Waymo raised $2.25 billion from a slate of private equity investors, venture capitalists and automotive companies, the first time Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous vehicle unit has taken outside funds. Silver Lake Management LLC, a private equity firm, led the round, which …

Mass Killings Database: Workplace Shootings Remain Rare

The mass shooting at a brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the 13th in the U.S. since 2006. Workplace mass shootings remain a rare event but there are some trends among who carries them out and why. The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern …

N.C. High Court: Actual Cash Value Includes Depreciation for Labor Costs

An insurer whose policy covers the “actual cash value” of a property may deduct for depreciation of labor costs when it calculates the amount of the loss, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled. The court noted that the question of …

Coronavirus Rumors Spread on App Cripple Los Angeles’ Koreatown

LOS ANGELES — In a Koreatown restaurant known for its beef bone broth soup, the lunchtime crowd Friday was half its normal size. The reason was a virulent rumor about a customer with coronavirus. Han Bat Shul Lung Tang was …

Americans Are Paying $34 Billion Too Much for Houses in Flood Plains

At least 3.8 million U.S. homes lie in flood plains. Together, they may be overvalued by $34 billion. New research published today in a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper shows that markets fail to incorporate risks from flooding …

Iowa Court Drastically Cuts Insurer’s Payment to Paralyzed Worker

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday dramatically reduced the compensation a paralyzed northeast Iowa man received from a jury in a lawsuit against an insurance company even while finding the company’s actions were “reprehensible.” Despite criticizing …

Apple to Pay Up to $500 Million to Settle U.S. Lawsuit Over Slow iPhones

Apple Inc. has agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle litigation accusing it of quietly slowing down older iPhones as it launched new models, to induce owners to buy replacement phones or batteries. The preliminary proposed class-action settlement …

Mixed Messages, Test Delays Hamper U.S. Coronavirus Response

Even as U.S. officials warn of an inevitable outbreak of coronavirus in the United States, and are alerting Americans to take precautions, some health agencies charged with protecting the public appear unprepared to deal with the threat. Barely more than …